More than sweet words and romantic gestures

We at Magic Dog Press have many wonderful qualities, but writing romance is not one of them. Our books frequently speak of love, but seldom is there anything romantic or elevated about it. Luckily, other authors aren’t similarly challenged.

Today the Magic Dog meets June Williams, a first-time indie writer who met her co-authors through an online Jane Austen community, where they all wrote fanfiction. In Honor and Integrity, they’ve included seven short stories based on Austen’s characters and two non-Austen stories.

June: Darcy has his flaws like any other person, but yes, he has a lot of traits most women find desireable. It’s curious that he’s considered a romantic hero when he failed at his one romantic gesture. In Pride and Prejudice, his proposal had some very sweet words:

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

Bodie: Famous words indeed, and many women would swoon over them. Personally, I might feel a little silly having someone say that to me, but still, it’s a lovely sentiment.

June: But Lizzy Bennet slammed him down hard.

“If I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot.”

His second proposal – well, he didn’t make a second proposal. All he said was:

“If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged.”

Nothing overtly romantic.

Bodie: So what makes him a romantic hero?

June: It wasn’t his words; it was his actions. Writing love scenes is more than sweet words and romantic gestures. If a man gave me flowers and chocolates, I’d thank him but the gesture would mean little to me. Lizzy Bennet grew in love with Darcy when she saw his actions – he saved her family’s reputation by getting Wickham to marry Lydia, and he did it quietly so Lizzy wouldn’t find out about it.

Bodie: There was also the Wickham angle. Darcy became brother-in-law to the man who almost ruined Georgiana Darcy.

June: Exactly.

Bodie: So how do we authors (particularly those of us who tend to throw popcorn at the TV and invent our own dialog when Romance threatens) write love scenes?

June: First off, know your characters. If your heroine hates flowers and chocolates, then don’t have your hero give them to her, unless you’re writing an argument. Figure out what your character values and use that as the basis for a love scene. If she is a DIY person, maybe he should give her a table saw and offer to help her make something. If he wants to climb Mount Everest, maybe she should help him train. If there’s a kidnapping or murder, they should help and support each other. No trite stuff. If you want trite words, buy a greeting card.

Bodie: (laughs) What else?

June: Get inside your characters’ heads. You’ve heard of the term “IKEA fic” – sex scenes that describe how Tab A enters Slot B; very mechanical, no feelings. In a movie, you would see the characters’ feelings in their facial expressions and body language; in writing, we have to describe everything. How does she feel when he kisses her, and does she tell him why? True love doesn’t come from romantic gestures; true love comes after a lot of relationship build-up. Put your characters through the proverbial wringer!

Bodie: There are some folks who do like the typical flowers and chocolates route, even greeting cards.

June: Of course. But that’s not what makes me fall in love with a character. In one of my modern stories in Honor and Integrity, Lizzy rescues Darcy from a kidnapper and supports him through the PTSD counseling process. The romantic gestures – like flowers and gifts – can follow, but they don’t lead.

Thank you, dear readers, for joining us in our chat. Please leave a comment below, telling us what makes you love a person or character. June and her co-author are giving out one ebook copy of Honor and Integrity to a lucky commenter. Entry is open to worldwide readers and closes on 30 July 2012.

About Honor and Integrity
What if Mr. Darcy’s mother was still alive? What if the Bennet sisters had suitors who were unacceptable? What if Elizabeth didn’t realize Darcy’s identity? And what if three authors of Jane Austen-inspired stories put their heads together and challenged each other with creating stories which contain the words ‘honor’ or ‘integrity’?

This collection of nine short stories contains sweet, romantic and intriguing stories across Regency, fantasy and modern genres.

You can find steampunk, deception, manipulation, theft, murder, love, marriage, coffee and many more themes in this volume.

20 Responses

Dare I admit I haven’t read much Jane Austen? Is it too late? LOL. This review does make it sound more intriguing, and the short story collection sounds good, too. Nice interview! Like the book cover, too.

Me, either. I read some in college, but I never really got hooked–the Zombies books look interesting, and as you say, this one makes old Jane sound more appealing. My prof used to swear she had a sense of humor, and even read snippets that she said supported that view, but I never found her much of a knee-slapper. Maybe I need to take another look…

Bodie, thank you for hosting us! I’m with you – I fast-forward during kissing scenes. Now a hero or heroine who braves fire, flood, and bullets…. that’s love! (heh!)

As for Jane Austen and movie versions of P&P, you might enjoy “Bride and Prejudice” which is a modern Bollywood retelling set in India. It’s easier to see the humor of Mr Collins being considered a catch, or Mary Bennet displaying her talent.

This makes me think of Henry James who, owing to an unfortunate graduate school experience, I came to loathe–even as I understand that he made a powerful impact on future writers. I understand an appreciate what he was trying to do–I just don’t think it did it as effectively as later writers did it. Same with Picasso (and I know this is heresy). I understand how his vision changed art–but I prefer the works of others who built on that vision far more than I appreciate his stuff. And The Castle of Otranto (the first gothic novel)–I love gothic literature, and there are undoubtedly genre masters and mistresses–and all of them writer better, more effective gothic stories than CoO. It’s important because it started a whole style of literature, but it’s hilariously funny, because it doesn’t use its conventions very well. James, Picasso, and the CoO author are like carpenters who invent a new style of tool–which others, who come after, really master and exploit to its fullest potential.

Actually, no. I find him clunky and off-putting. There seems to be a certain in-your-faceness about his work that I just don’t care for–I love his early stuff (the stuff that nobody thinks of when they think of Picasso), though. Funny story here–when I was a young woman and an aunt instead of a mother, I made a habit of taking my nephews to the Norton Simon Art Museum in Pasadena. There they learned about progress paintings (and understood them surprisingly well). They also learned about Greek toes (this involved sitting down in the middle of the lobby right by the sculpture and removing their own shoes to check their toes for greekness.

And on one memorable day, they learned about Picasso. There was an exhibit of his work there, and as was our custom, we poked our heads into the exhibit hall to see if it was something we might like before we committed ourselves to actually entering. The room was full of an art class, students jammed on benches, sketchboards propped on knees.

My older nephew (he was about six at the time) took one look at the walls and said, “WHAT is THAT?” And he said it in horrified and carrying tones. An entire room full of art student heads swiveled up and glared at us.

“That’s Picasso,” I said quietly. “He’s a vary famous painter because he changed the way that the world thinks about art. He’s important, but I really don’t like his work much.” (I said this last bit very quietly indeed–the art students were killing us dead, right in the doorway.)

“I HATE Picasso,” said my nephew.

We withdrew and went to look at the progress paintings and the Daumiers, and the boys checked their toes, which continued to be Greek, and we had a lovely afternoon.

In a way, I’ve always admired my nephew’s clearsightedness. He listened to my explanation, understood that Picasso was influential (and clearly respected, with that whole room full of disciples), and said clearly and unambiguously that he hated his art. What guts. Of course, he was only six.

Bodie, how wonderful that you took your nephews to the art museum. Those were experiences that will always be with them. I have never cared for the work of Picasso either. Funny thing, I have an art studio at Petersburg Regional Art Center (a big converted furniture store building) next to a modern day Picasso. Joe churns out about one painting a day and has a huge following!

Good idea, Enid–those boys were charmers (still are, even though they’re big men and have tribal tattoos and build race cars and drum in bands and things. We also used to re-enact arthurian legends in the swimming pool. (The Lady in the Lake, mostly, with their He-man sword, an innertube, and my ability to walk on the bottom of the diving end of the pool. We didn’t have a samite dress for me, but you can’t have everything. They also made me a lovely collection of illustrations for Sir Gawain and the Grene Knight–their favorite bedtime story.)

June, I don’t think that not caring for Picasso makes anybody a neaderthal–I think we can all agree that a writer or painter can be influential and siginificant without necessarily liking what they do. After all, I don’t think anyone would claim that Hitler was insignificant, and yet most agree that much of what he did was horrific. Not to put Picasso in the same class, but I think the same principle applies.

Monti–lucky you, to have a real art studio! And your neighbor–somehow it just just doesn’t seem fair that anyone who churns out a painting a day should be so very successful (I suppose that’s a bit “dog in the manger” of me, but I still don’t think it’s quite fair. He should have to WORK for his success!~

June: Of course. But that’s not what makes me fall in love with a character. In one of my modern stories in Honor and Integrity, Lizzy rescues Darcy from a kidnapper and supports him through the PTSD counseling process. The romantic gestures – like flowers and gifts – can follow, but they don’t lead.

About Magic Dog Press

Magic Dog Press exists to bridge the gulf between manuscript and bookshelf. We specialize in working with writers who wish to self-publish, but aren't quite sure where to start. If you have a book inside you struggling to get out--or if it already has gotten out, and is standing on your porch wondering which way to go, contact us.

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